SpaceX has conducted a full-length static fire test of its Starship Super Heavy booster, which it will presumably use on its eighth flight. After the Flight 7 final stage accidentally exploded during Flight 7, the company has slowed updates on Flight 8 as it works with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the accident investigation.
However, with the booster static fire test concluded, SpaceX likely already knows when the FAA investigation will allow it to launch the next Starship test flight.
SpaceX yesterday accelerated the pace of potential testing of Starship 8 after the company moved the Super Heavy booster to the launch pad over the weekend evening. The rocket then underwent a full static ignition, first reported by local media and then confirmed by the company on social media.
The Super Heavy rocket performed a full static ignition, and SpaceX later confirmed that it was a full-length run. The static fire is one of the final tests before launch, and a static fire in the first half of February may mean that Starship 8 will fly earlier than expected.
SpaceX's filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) lists February 24 as the launch window. However, the final launch date will depend on the company's investigation into the Starship 7 flight accident, which from all indications is still ongoing.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared another image of the X after the static ignition test was successful. This image shows the upper stage Starship and hints that SpaceX may test the spacecraft next. The spacecraft's static ignition was successful, and engineers found no anomalies or unusual data points, meaning the only remaining test before flight was a full-stack wet rehearsal on the launch pad.
Since the upper stage failed to meet most, if not all, test goals on Flight 7, Starship Flight 8 should be a repeat of the January test. Whether SpaceX still plans to subject the spacecraft to extreme pressure is uncertain, but what is certain is that the company will have to increase the frequency of testing. 2025 is a critical year for the Starship program, especially since SpaceX must prove on-orbit replenishment of the propellant bank.
The launch site is the centerpiece of NASA's Human Landing System (HLS), which is designed to land the first humans on the moon since the Apollo era. SpaceX also had to catch the spacecraft with a launch tower to demonstrate the reusability of the second stage. While reusability is not essential for Starship missions, it is essential for lowering the cost of missions to Mars and the Moon.
Before the Starship's seventh flight crash, Musk had hinted that his company could use the tower relay device on the eighth flight if the spacecraft successfully landed on the water. SpaceX also used relay hardware on its seventh flight, but the future of the relay is unclear after the Starship exploded during a flight in January.